450 DIRECTIONS FOR GETTING AND REEFING. judgeth. For hemay be too rigorous, or more commonly too char- itable in, his opinion ofyou : there may be much of your' disposi- tion and conversation unknown to him, which may hinder his right judging. But, (1.) you must use your pastor as the ordained in- strument and' messenger of the Lord Jesus' andhis Spirit, appointed to speak a word in season to the weary, and to show to man his righteousness, and to strengthen the weak hands and feeble knees yea, and more, to bind and loose on earth, as Christ doth bind and loose in heaven. As Christ and His Spirit do only save in the principal place, and yet ministerssave souls in sultordination to them as his instruments, (Acts xxvi. 17, 18. 1 Tim. iv. 15, 16. James v. 20,) so Christ and. the Spirit are, as principal causes, the only.comforters ; but his ministers are comforters under him. (2.) And that which you must expect from them are these two things. 1. You must expect those fuller discoveries of God's will than you are able to make yourself, by which you may have assuranceof yourduty to God, and of the sense of Scripture, which expresseth how' God will deal with you ; that so a clearer discov- ery of God's mind may resolve your doubts. 2. In the mean time, till you can conìe to a full resolution, you may and must somewhat stay yourself on the very judgment ofyour pastor ; not as infalli- ble, but asa discoveryof the probability of your good or bad estate ; and so ofyour duty also. Though you will not renounce your own understanding, and believe anyman when you know he is de- ceived, or would deceive you, yet you would so far suspect your own reason and value another's1 as to have a special regard to every man's judgment in his ownirofession. If the physician tell you that your disease is not dangerous, or the layer that your cause is good, it will more comfort you than ifanother manshould say as much. It may much stay your heart, till you can reach to clearer evidences and assurance, to have a pastor that is well ac- quainted with yoú, and is faithful and judicious, to tell you that he verily thinks that you are in a safe condition. (3.) But the chiefuse of his advice is, not so much 'to tell you what he thinks of you, as to give you directions how, you may ,fudge of yourself, and come out of your trouble; besides the benefit of his prayers to God for you. 4. Next let me tell you what men you must choose to open your mind to ; and they must be, (1.) Men ofjudgmentand knowl- edge, and not the ignoraht, be they never so honest; else they may deceive you, not knowing what they do; either for want of understanding the Scripture, and the nature of grace and sin ; of for want of skill to deal with bothweak consciences, anddeep,deceit- ful hearts. (2.) They must be truly fearing God, and of experi- ence in this great work. For a troubled soul is seldom well re-
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